


Red Balloon

by Sakira_hime



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-24 03:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6140138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakira_hime/pseuds/Sakira_hime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke is in his first year as a med student, and he knows that nothing will screw up his studies. Until he’s assigned a mentor in the form of a bubbly final year who seems hell-bent on derailing his perfect plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where Are We Going?

**Author's Note:**

> This story is beta'd by the incomparable Sahar-Chan, whose work is incredible and ability to indulge my rants, plot bunnies and strange ideas is second to none. Thank you for making my work worth reading!

_7:25am_

_Good, there’s still an hour before class starts_ , he thought, readjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. He cast a disinterested glance at the other passengers on the train before lowering his gaze to his flashing phone screen. _Mom?_

“Hello,” he answered, his voice barely audible over the incessant clanging and clacking.

“Sasuke! You left so early, I didn’t even get to say goodbye!” He sighed internally.

“Sorry, Mom, you were asleep, and I didn’t to wake you.” _Because you need your rest now more than ever_. He couldn’t say that out loud, God knows she’d reach through the phone to lecture him about how perfect her health was. Except it wasn’t.

“Hmm, that’s so like you,” she said fondly, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “But don’t let it happen again. I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing my precious son off for college.” This time, he smiled. It was small, no more than the twitch of a muscle, and it wasn’t for anyone else to see.

“I won’t, Mom, promise.”

“That’s my boy. Have a great first day of your second week of your first year in college! Love you!” she rattled off, and he could hear pots and pans clattering in the background.

“Love you too, Mom. Take it easy, please.” He hung up before she could chew him out for telling her to rest. He shoved his phone into his pocket, and roughly ran a hand through his dark hair. He checked his watch again, mentally groaning at how quickly time passed. He decided to pull out his textbook, to go through the subjects that would inevitably be in the first lecture.

_BANG!_

“Oi, one side, one side! Scorching coffee coming through! Hot as Satan’s piss, might I add! Oof!”

Turning his head in the direction of the commotion, he spotted a large mass of people parting down the middle to make way for a small woman clutching a huge cup of coffee. He vaguely noted that the train had actually stopped, and looked more closely at the loud passenger. Her pink hair-yeah, pink-was swept up into a bun a mama bird would be proud of, with a few loose strands brushing her forehead and neck. Her heart-shaped face was partially eclipsed by big, black framed glasses. She wore a large pale green sweater that seemed to drown her, and fell off one of her shoulders. Her light grey tights were, well, tight, and her white sneakers looked worn and dirty. A heavily patched bag hung across her body, the actual bag swinging about her thighs as she weaved through the throng of passengers. Overall, she looked sloppy to Sasuke. Lazy.

She finally made it through the crowd and glanced around for an open seat, her eyes gleaming when they landed on him. Wait, _him_?! God, no please. He prayed to the powers above that she had spotted a seat behind him, any other seat but the mercifully empty one beside him. Looking back at the pages of his book, he vowed to fast every day for an entire month if she would just sit somewhere else. He wasn’t capable of dealing with someone like her this early in the morning. He supposed he could just ignore her, listen to music or something. Would it be rude to put his earphones in? Probably. Tch. He grit his teeth as she practically fell into the seat beside him with a relieved sigh.

“Who knew the subway was so packed at this time, huh?” she commented breathlessly. _Everyone who takes this train on a daily basis_ , he thought snidely, only nodding in response as she set her bag down between her abused sneakers and took a hearty swig of her coffee. Which she then swallowed with a painfully twisted expression on her face.

“Shit, completely forgot. Satan’s piss, haha.”

He wondered why the hell she kept speaking; it’s not like he was actively participating in any conversation whatsoever. But she spoke again.

“Ugh, I hate having to be up this early. It’s Monday, everyone is still hungover and tired, and probably needs until at least noon to be a functioning member of society. Hell, I’d take the day off if I could, but, duty calls, y’know,” she blabbered, turning in her seat to face him, making him sink further into his book.

“Oh, Konoha, huh?” she suddenly asked, jerking her head towards the bag at his feet when he looked up in question, proudly displaying the university’s emblem. He nodded, closing his book to check his watch. Again.

“And a med student, too? Damn, you must have some kind of hatred for fun.” He threw her an irritated glare, that she somehow took as an invitation to speak some more.

“Konoha Med is where people bury their social lives, happiness, and any hope of a carefree future,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, looking for all the world as though she was giving him _good_ advice.

“Besides, a guy your age should be partying, having fun and falling in love. Why are you throwing that away?” she asked dramatically. He dropped his book and looked her dead in the face.

“I don’t care about that.”

“Whew, you’re gorgeous, too. It’s probably better that you don’t get into the dating scene. That would be detrimental for both guys and girls,” she said teasingly. Sasuke almost choked on his spit. Gorgeous? Please. Just then, she squeaked and pawed around in her bag, finding her phone and answering it.

“Ino-Pig! I was wondering when you’d wake up- eh?”

He heard muffled screeching on the other end, and immediately tried to tune it out.

“Already? But I thought I’d hidden it pretty well this time! Where’s Shizune?”

More muffled squeals.

“She can’t come in, she’s pregnant! She’s on maternity leave, Ino, didn’t you see her last Friday? She looked about ready to pop!”

The other side was quieter this time, thankfully, and he focused on the textbook.

“Okay, look, I’m on the subway- yes, only now! I couldn’t find my contacts, and then I had to run around my kitchen looking for aspirin only to remember that _someone_ had finished it. I’ve still got about half an hour till I get there, now you tell me; would you rather deal with a cuddly drunk or a hungover me?”

There was a pause before the muffled voice replied, and she smiled triumphantly.

“Love you, Ino-Pig! Thanks for covering for me! Oh, by the way, the stash she got into was her favourite sake, so she might get a little temperamental. Good luck!”

And she hung up, the outraged screaming on the other end going silent. The woman snickered and pulled off her glasses, tiredly rubbing her eyes.

“Ah, I’m gonna be in so much trouble when I get in,” she said ruefully. He almost snorted. What sort of place did she work at? Someone in a position of authority was drinking sake at 7h30 in the morning? What the hell?! Seemed shady…

“Ah, I might have to work late. Shit. And my boss is gonna murder me when she finds out it was me who hid her not-so-secret stash.”

He frowned, not really caring about her problems. What he cared about was her babbling that seemed like a never-ending soul-sucking vortex. Again, he glared at his watch, silently willing the minute hand to reach the damn nine so that he could reach his damn stop, get off this damn train and away from this damn woman. Five more minutes. He inhaled deeply, trying to soothe his agitated nerves, but the air was thick with the muggy smell of cheap cologne and caffeine, mingling with the sweat from those who had just worked the graveyard shift. It was suffocating, and served only to tighten his already stiff shoulders.

“Whoa, you okay?” His head turned without his permission, his face no doubt unfriendly. She didn’t seem perturbed. Shoot.

“Fine,” he grumbled, forcing his eyes back to his book. Why was it so hard to concentrate on this stupid train? Every morning was the same; he’d try to study on the way to the university campus, but the overwhelming presence of others was just that: overwhelming. And the noisy woman who sat beside him counted for at least half of those already on board.

“Eh, you sure? You look a little anxious,” she remarked, leaning forward to inspect his face closely. Too closely. He jerked his head back, unsure and unused to having someone interact with him like this. It was maddening.

“Ah, sorry. I get carried away sometimes. My best friend says it’s my giant forehead that makes people uncomfortable,” she giggled, as though this best friend of hers had complimented her. His eyes slanted, somewhat intrigued by the comment, but he decided her forehead wasn’t really that big. Maybe slightly bigger than average, but nothing to write home about. He surmised this friend was just an idiot and turned back to his book. Still, the words would not stick.

“It’s not that big,” he mumbled, eyes trained on the text while his cheeks grew hot. Why did he say that? He hadn’t meant for it to slip past his lips! He was just encouraging her now, he couldn’t do that. He wanted peace and silence!

“Oh my gosh, you’re, like, the first person to tell me that.” His eyes widened slightly; he wasn’t expecting it to be that big a deal. So, being the socially intelligent guy he was, he simply shrugged.

“You’re not so bad, kid,” she said, elbowing him in the ribs. Hard. Wincing, he sent her a reproachful glare. He always hated being talked down to. He wasn’t a kid.

“I’m not-”

His rebuttal was drowned out by the incoherent mumbling over the speakers, announcing the name of a place he had no interest in. The woman jumped up and grabbed her bag, making a dash for the doors.

“See you around, kid!” she called, waving over her shoulder as she sprinted across the platform. His shoulders sagged in relief.

_Finally_.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His first lecture ended uneventfully, and he was relieved. He had wanted just that after having to listen to her for a torturous fifteen minutes. He recalled little other than the actual lecture and the guy who’d taken his spot near the back of the class. Dick. He’d have to get up earlier tomorrow.

“Hey, Sasuke, you listening?”

His head lifted slowly; dark, apathetic eyes locking with bright blue.

“What?”

“I _said_ , I hear you guys are getting mentors today,” the blonde idiot said, his pitch somewhat grating on Sasuke’s sensitive ears. He nodded in reply. They’d been informed of the assignment on their second day. First years would be assigned to final year students as part of the university’s integration programme. He wasn’t really looking forward to it, but he figured being able to pick the brain of someone who’d almost completed their studies would help in the long run.

“So, who do you think you’ll get? Ooh, what if you get a really hot girl? I’d be so jealous!”

_THWACK!_

“Have you actually seen the final year students?”

“Ow, asshole, that hurt. This face is precious, y’know? The girls here would die if you ruined it,” he whined, rubbing his reddening forehead. Sasuke dropped the hardcover textbook onto the table and looked at his best friend, brows raised.

“No, I haven’t seen em. But imagine if you did get some bombshell with killer legs and a huge rack!” he exclaimed, his obnoxious voice rising in volume with each word, making Sasuke’s fingers twitch, inching closer to the book.

Sending him his signature Uchiha glare, Sasuke clenched his twitching fingers into a fist and drew them away from the potential murder weapon. Naruto frowned, and Sasuke turned back to his pasta.

“How’s your mom?”

Tch, no tact. They’d been best friends, brothers, since they were in preschool, and the idiot still sucked at reading situations. But, at least he never pushed Sasuke too much, and for that, he was grateful.

“The doctor sent her home for now. He said she needed a break,” he said quietly, eyes never leaving his plate.

“I wanted to go see her,” Naruto said thoughtfully. “But I didn’t wanna make it worse. I haven’t seen her in so long now.”

It had been a while, and Sasuke understood the sadness in his voice. When his mom first fell ill, she’d been in ICU, and only immediate family could visit. And since she’d been in ICU for so long, Naruto hadn’t been able to visit.

“Don’t be an idiot. You know she’d love to see you.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll go see her. I miss her cooking,” he joked, his laugh hiding the longing in his eyes. Sasuke sighed.

“Come over for dinner tonight,” he said flatly. “Mom might not be cooking, so you’ll have to settle for my cooking.”

“Ha! I’m gonna get food poisoning if I eat your cooking!”

Sasuke threw his plastic fork at the idiot, who managed to dodge in time, the fork whistling past his ear.

“Tch, you’re so lucky; Mom would have my head if I actually killed you,” Sasuke spat, getting up and throwing his half eaten pasta in the trash. One glance at the giant clock in the food court told him he had ten minutes to get to class and get a good spot. He made for the door to the west building, lifting a hand as he walked.

“See you tonight, idiot. Try not to fail any classes today.”

“Oi! You bastard-”

Sasuke chuckled quietly, walking through the already familiar hallway toward his next lecture. Why anyone arrived on time was a mystery, though. Their professor was a recluse; an eccentric, middle aged man who had no respect for punctuality. On the first day, he’d casually waltzed in an hour into the three and a half hour lecture, muttering some half assed excuse about a little old lady who needed help with her groceries. Sasuke wasn’t fond of him at all, though he managed to have the females of his class swooning with a mere eye-crinkle of a smile. Dirty old man.

Sasuke walked into the empty auditorium, and climbed the steps to his favourite seat, neatly setting his books on the table and leaning back in his chair. He sighed, thinking about what the hell he was going to cook. He pulled his phone out and dialled the only number he knew by heart, pressing the phone to his ear. She answered on the second ring, of course, like always.

“Sasuke? You okay?” she said worriedly, and he shook his head. It was so like her.

“I’m fine, I just wanted to let you know that the idiot is coming over for dinner,” he said, already picturing her elated smile. His mother was truly beautiful, and more so when she smiled.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” she sang. “What would you boys like for dinner? Maybe I’ll make teriyaki. Oh, but Naruto loves ramen, maybe I’ll make that instead,” she rattled.

“You’re not making anything, you’re resting. I already told the dope I was cooking, and now I want to get him back,” he explained sullenly. The other end was silent for a few moments, making Sasuke anxious.

“Mom?”

“He told you he’d get food poisoning again?”

“It was one time! And he deserved it, for ruining my favourite shirt,” he added defensively. Give your best friend food poisoning one time, and no one lets you live it down. It wasn’t his fault, honestly. The idiot threw up on one of Sasuke’s favourite shirts when he got plastered after graduation, and Sasuke wasn’t quite sober enough to remember that expiry dates actually mattered. Oops.

His mother’s tinkling laughed floated through the speaker, reminding him of when she’d laugh that way every day, when her eyes still sparkled and her smile never faltered. The sound was bittersweet now.

“Okay, sweetie, okay. We’ll have a big dinner, since I haven’t seen Naru in so long,” she said sweetly.

“All right, I have to get to class, I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“Love you too, Sasuke.”

He hung up and put his phone on silent, sliding it into his pocket as a group of students walked in noisily.

As expected, it was an entire hour and fifteen minutes before their professor strolled in, one hand in his pocket, the other clutching a smutty book. Stopping at his desk, he lowered his book a fraction, his eyes flitting lazily from face to face.

“Ah,” he drawled. “You’re all early today.”

“Actually, Professor Hatake, class started an hour ago-”

“Anyway, today I’ll be assigning your mentors. As you all know, each of you will spend your first year in the mentoring stage of the programme, under the guidance of a final year student. However, some of you will have to share mentors, because there are more of you than them. Questions?”

His lazy, rehearsed mini-speech was met with silence. Sasuke knew everyone just wanted to get this over and done with. Since students were informed of the integration programme, many had spent weeks agonising over who their mentor would be and what they’d would be like.

“Great. We’ll go according to the register, alphabetically,” he sighed, the exasperation evident in his reluctant tone. Sasuke groaned in silence. Great, he was the last on the list… A loud chatter coming from outside the door caught his attention, and he watched as Hatake moved, his movements cat-like, almost. He hauled the door open to a flurry of gasps.

He said nothing, only placing a finger on his masked lips. And all was silent. He walked back to his desk and snatched the list up.

“Right, first up…”

It was agonising, really, to watch as his classmates met their mentors while he waited in silence.

“Sasuke Uchiha.” Finally. He stood.

“Here.”

“Your mentor is Dr. Haruno,” he announced, his voice sarcastic, almost mocking. Hatake gazed at the door expectantly, and rolled his eyes when no one entered. God, Sasuke prayed his mentor wasn’t habitually late. Hatake had one hand on his desk phone when the sound of rushing footsteps and laboured panting reached his ears. He looked up as Sasuke turned his head to the door, and smiled. At least, Sasuke thought he did. It was hard to tell considering he constantly wore a surgical mask.

“Ah, Dr. Haruno, how nice of you to join us,” he teased, motioning for the person to enter.

“Sorry, Kakashi, Tsunade wouldn’t let me off.”

Oh no.

“She had me run patrol through the psych ward as punishment.”

Oh, God, please, no.

“A whole three hours with Ino-Pig breathing down my neck. Lousy psychologist.”

Sasuke refused to believe what his eyes wouldn’t allow him to deny.

“You shouldn’t hide her precious booze, Sakura. You should give it to me, then she can’t blame anyone.”

There she was.

“Your logic is flawed, _sensei_. Anyway, where’s my precious baby bird?”

In all her obnoxious, loud and annoying glory.

“Right there.”

She locked eyes with a frozen Sasuke and smirked.

“I thought I might see you again.”

Fuck.


	2. Heaven Alone Only Knows

“Hey, Sasuke, pass the soy sauce.”

He couldn’t believe it.

“Yo, Sasuke!”

Of all the awful things the gods could do to him.

“Sasuke!”

His head lifted, scowling at the blonde in front of him for a second before remembering what he’d asked for. He tossed the soy sauce at Naruto and continued picking at his own food half-heartedly.

“Sasuke, are you okay?”

He looked at his mom and nodded. Her once beautifully thick, black hair now fell past her waist somewhat lifelessly, streaked with grey and no longer shiny. Her aristocratic face had aged; her cheeks hollow, eyes tired and sunken, mouth drawn and lined. Her body wasn’t as strong as it once had been, and her hands had become bony and fragile, dotted with scars from countless drips. But she was still so beautiful to him. Still the strong woman who had fought so hard and raised him alone, with a smile that never left her face.

“I’m fine, Mom. Just had a long day,” he said quietly. It had been, truly. His entire day had been one giant pink headache.

“He’s just bummed out coz his mentor is way too hot for him,” Naruto said in between mouthfuls of noodles. Sasuke aimed a projectile chopstick at his head, smirking when it made contact.

“Oi!”

“Sasuke, don’t use Naru for target practice,” Mikoto admonished, throwing him a reproachful look as she got up, gathering dishes in her thin arms. Sasuke immediately got up, gathering their empty glasses in his hands.

“I’ll do it, Mom. Sit down, Naruto hasn’t even finished eating,” he said quietly, reaching over to pull the dishes from her hands. She sighed and sank back into her chair, watching his wide back as he left for the kitchen.

“You know, Naru, most mothers would sell their souls for a son who did what my Sasuke does for me,” Mikoto mused, casting a sidelong glance at the blonde who’d paused with his chopsticks midway to his mouth. She chuckled. “And here I am wishing he’d  _let_ **(space)** me do something other than rest.”

Naruto lowered his chopsticks, pursing his lips thoughtfully before he spoke.

“Sasuke is… He cares a lot, even though he acts like he doesn’t. You know he freaks out over everything, he’s just taking care of you.” He smiled his megawatt smile, her favourite one and went straight back to finishing his food.

“I’m glad you came over, Naru. We’ve missed you,” she said, reaching across and placing a hand on his bulging cheek. He swallowed thickly.

“Useless!”

They both winced slightly at Sasuke’s shout. Naruto grinned sheepishly and got up, piling his own dishes in his arms, dragging his feet along the way.

_~Several weeks later~_

_This is ridiculous_ , he thought to himself, glaring burning holes through the lazy professor in front of him.  _Absolutely ridiculous_.

“So why did you choose to study medicine of all things?”

_None of your business_ , he thought spitefully.

“It’s not the most popular field of study around, especially when it comes to kids fresh outta high school,” she continued pensively. Sasuke sighed softly and flipped another page, content to just read and pretend he couldn’t hear her.

“Hmm, although, for some, studying medicine is personal. They do it for a family member or a close friend lost because medical science hadn’t come far enough to save them.”

Inside, deep, deep down, Sasuke froze. She was trespassing on personal territory, too close for comfort, which said a lot considering she was _always_ too close for comfort. He watched from the corner of his eye warily. She opened her mouth to speak again but thankfully closed it when her phone buzzed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sasuke returned to the textbook. She made a noise of disgust before frantically typing back to whoever the message was from.

“I don’t believe this!”

Yeah, he couldn’t either. Why couldn’t she just keep her voice down? Sooner or later, she’d attract the attention of his classmates and that was the last thing Sasuke wanted. He vaguely heard her muttering while he struggled internally, but was shaken out of it when she lightly tapped his elbow.

“Sasuke, are you listening?”

He rolled his eyes, internally, and nodded. He may not have been listening, but it wasn’t difficult to _hear_ her. How could he not? The seating arrangement designed by the Sensei of Sarcasm didn’t exactly allow for disregard; feigned or otherwise.

“Good, coz Ino has a full schedule and I need to vent.”

And why was he her next choice? This Ino person surely couldn’t be busy  _all_ day, she had to go home some time, right? Why was his precious class time hijacked for the sake of some meaningless ranting? He could be reading up on the next few chapters instead of wondering why on earth he was being used as karma’s personal punching bag.

“Y’know, that evil tyrant made me take the new interns around yesterday? I don’t mind taking the newbies on their rounds and all, but it was Lee’s birthday party at the Black Lotus and it’s always better there coz they have, like, the best alcohol. And when I tried to explain this to her, she threw her stapler at me and told me to get out and do my job. Job, ha! Like I’m getting paid any more than the interns I had to entertain. Who, by the way, are so much worse than you! I had no idea anyone could have their textbooks shoved so far up their-“

“Sakura.”

“Kakashi- _sensei_?”

“Your little bird is dying of boredom,” the professor said without even lifting his eyes from his damn orange book. How he could hear her from where they sat together at the very back of the auditorium was beyond Sasuke. But, then again, her voice managed to pierce his once impenetrable wall of aloofness so maybe his hearing wasn’t anything special. Still…

“I really don’t think my apathetic professor would be able to tell if someone was dying of boredom, after all, I’ve been dying of boredom in your class for the past six years and you’ve been none the wiser,” Haruno quipped, tossing a long, pink plait over her shoulder. Sasuke’s eyes went wide. This woman had no respect! “And besides, I’m just trying to get to know him better. What kind of mentor would I be if I didn’t know the first thing about my precious mentee?”

_A decent one that knew where to draw the line between professionalism and privacy?_

“Ah, not true, Sakura-chan. As I recall, you seemed perfectly okay to head up most of my lectures and even took it upon yourself to re-grade essays after I had graded them. You thrived in my class.” He still hadn’t lowered his book, but his dark grey eyes had lifted to stare at the girl beside Sasuke in sarcastic triumph. Sasuke groaned internally. Did they have to make a scene out of this? The aforementioned girl had gone a shade of pink that was remarkably similar to her hair.

“Don’t ruin my reputation, sensei! And besides, I helped you keep your job.”

“Something I’m sure you’re still regretting seeing as I haven’t shown you my eternal gratitude?”

At that point, Sasuke was sure she was going to explode. Her small hands had closed into fists on the table and her green eyes narrowed to slits. He was convinced she was going to throw something at the slouching professor, but she smirked instead.

“Is that the third novel in the Icha Icha series, sensei?” she asked calmly. They had the entire lecture room’s attention now, both students and mentors had stopped to watch; the first years looked horrified, but the final years were lazily amused. And Sasuke? Sasuke wanted to melt into his seat and disappear.

Hatake’s visible eye narrowed suspiciously before he answered.

“Yes, why?”

“What chapter are you on?”

“Seven.”

“Then you haven’t gotten to the part where Yuki tells Koutarou that she dated his best friend while-”

“I have not!”

The silence that rang after Professor Hatake’s outburst was deafening. The entire class was fixated on the flustered professor, but Sasuke caught the purely evil glint in Haruno’s eye, and would have pitied the grown man before them, had he not been burning under the weighted stare of the entire class and _why_? Why did it have to be _him_ sitting next to this woman?

“I see,” the pinkette said slowly, a pensive look decorating her heart-shaped face. “It would be a pity if someone were to  _accidentally_ slip a small note in your next lecture file detailing the intense and fiery conversation between Yuki and Kou after confesses his l-”

“I get it. Well played, Sakura-chan,” the older man sighed, defeat and something akin to wry affection colouring his otherwise monotonous words.

She beamed next to Sasuke, not a single trace of the malevolent woman from just a few seconds before in sight. Something inside Sasuke told his body to shudder. Whether in fear or awe, he didn’t really care to know. He just wanted her to leave.

“Hmm, every time, sensei!”

She spun around to face Sasuke and he almost jerked back in shock. Almost. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha family members were the picture of ‘calm and collected’, no matter how sick they felt under sixty-some-odd pairs of curious eyes.

“Now, back to my bored baby bird,” she said, her eyes far too bright and voice far too sweet.

“Don’t call me-”

“Sakura-chan, Tsunade called. She wants you on rounds at nine tonight.”

“Cool, thanks, sensei.”

Sasuke sighed and turned back to the textbook in front of them, flipping to the next chapter. He didn’t see why she had to be there, all they were doing was revising basic anatomy thanks to some moron who asked Hatake what the tibia was. Tch, Sasuke was sure the professor enjoyed piling tons of useless work on his students as a means to keep his time free for his damn books.

“Okay, I know this is boring, but it is part of the programme,” she said softly, surprising Sasuke with how quiet she  _could_  be. He actually turned to look her full in the face to make sure she’d been the one to speak. “And, if you get through this quickly, I can start taking you on my rounds early. Technically, you have to wait until your second year, but I’m pretty sure you can keep up, right kiddo?”

Of course, he could keep up. He’d had the highest score on the entrance exam, earned a full scholarship and still held the top position in every class. Kiddo… He’d show her.

“Hn.”

“…”

He glanced up at her questioningly when she made no sound.  _At all_.

“What?” he demanded. She shook her head slowly in response, a smile stretching her lips.

“You need to unclench, kid.”

…

Unclench?  _Him_?  _Unclench_?!

“Relax, I’m just kidding around,” she said soothingly. Maybe it would have been soothing, if it hadn’t been coming from  _her._ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“What’s next?” he asked, his voice hoarse in a vain attempt to keep from screaming. Haruno eyed him for a second longer, her stare making his skin prickle uncomfortably, before turning to the textbook.

“We’ll go over the next chapter…”

XoX

“Mmm, I can’t remember the last time the cafeteria had food this good!”

Sasuke eyed the lasagne in Haruno’s plate, doubtful that she had enough knowledge of food to understand what good food  _was_. Maybe he was being anal, but after having to listen to her uninteresting rant the entire morning, he’d been a little more than displeased to find that she’d be joining him for lunch. One loud mouthed, bright haired companion was enough; now he feared that his own loud mouthed, bright haired idiot wouldn’t be far behind.

“Aren’t you gonna eat?” she asked, pointing her plastic fork at his untouched salad. He shrugged, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. Seriously, if Naruto was in throwing distance, his entire day would go to shit.

“Oh, I see what’s going on,” she mused, wiggling her brows at him villainously. He paused and slowly turned to face her, suddenly a little more than wary.

“What?”

“Ehehe, you’ve got your eye on someone!”

He blinked once. Twice. A third time.

“Excuse me?” he asked blankly. Seriously, what?

“Don’t play dumb, kid. You can’t fool me,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. But… she was fooling herself. He bit back a laugh.

“I don’t care about stuff like that,” he grumbled, stabbing an offensive leaf of lettuce and shoving it into his mouth. Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair and she burst out laughing. Loudly.

“Everybody cares about stuff like that,” she insisted. “Well, not  _every_ everyone, but lots of people care about ‘stuff like that’.” He could hear the inverted commas in her statement and it infuriated him.

“I don’t,” he mumbled through a sigh. Couldn’t she leave it alone?

“Okay, kid.”

“I’m not-”

“BASTARD!”

His fork froze midway to his face; mouth slightly ajar, eyes wide in disbelief.  _Oh, shit…_

“Shit!” Haruno exclaimed, her fork clattering to the table in shock.

“Hey, bastard, thought you were gonna wait so we could eat together!”

Sasuke sighed and peered up at the blonde idiot out of the corners of his eyes.

“Shut up, dobe.”

“Don’t be rude, Sasuke,” Haruno cut in, green eyes lifting to the idiot’s face. “Naruto, right?”

“Hey, yeah, you remembered!” Naruto said, his bright smile ever present on his face. He grabbed a chair and sat down, unaware of Sasuke’s mounting irritation.

“Duh,” she replied, their familiarity grating on Sasuke’s nerves. Since when did they know each other?

“Didn’t think I’d see you here, Sakura,” the dobe mused, stuffing his face messily. Sasuke remained quiet, eating the rest of his food to quell the tension in his shoulders.

“Yeah, I don’t really stick around campus once class is over, but I had to help Sasuke out during his class.”

“Help Sasuke? How come?”

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?”  _No, I didn’t tell him_. “I’m his mentor.”

“Huh, it must have slipped his mind,” Naruto grumped, throwing Sasuke an accusatory glance. Yep, totally slipped his mind. Sure. Haruno laughed.

“Well, it’s no big deal, it just requires me to fill out another RAQ, along with my shifts at the hospital.”

“RAQ?”

“Required Attendance Quota,” she explained, draining the remainder of her soda. “In order to graduate, every final year student has to fill one out based on their previous years’ attendance. Of course, not everyone has to use the mentor programme to do it. Most of us actually just spend more time at clinics and hospitals, or become apprentices, but I’ve been an apprentice for six years now and I already work at Konoha Gen, so I’m the only one using an RAQ.”

Naruto looked at her quizzically, and Sasuke could tell he was confused.

“So by taking on another RAQ… you’re working… more?” he struggled. Haruno smiled.

“Yep. Technically, I’m not really supposed to, but I figured I might as well do it while I’m mentoring. Why waste the chance to jot down extra hours, y’know?”

“I guess… Anyway, how’d you get so unlucky?”

“Unlucky?”

“Yeah, you’re stuck with the Prince of Doom and Gloom for an entire year,” Naruto chuckled, throwing Sasuke a teasing grin. Tch.

“Oh, is he really as bad as he seems?” she asked, mock concern in her sarcastic question. Naruto laughed harder.

“Oh, yeah! If Monday had a face, it would be his.”

Haruno joined in on the dobe’s laughter, while Sasuke seethed silently, resisting the urge to throttle his idiot best friend and rub his temples in agitation.  _This was going to be another long day…_

XoX

“So…”

Sasuke inhaled deeply and looked at his best friend. They stood at the train station, waiting for the train to take them to work. It was getting late, and Sasuke needed to get home.

“So what?”

“Sakura, huh?”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, not quite understanding what the idiot was talking about.

“What about her?”

“She seems nice, don’t you think?”

“Speaking of which,” Sasuke said, avoiding his Naruto’s question. “How do you know her?”

“Oh, I met her at the hospital when I dislocated my shoulder last week. She was the one I told you about, remember?”

Sasuke remembered. Naruto had gone on and on about some gorgeous doctor at the hospital who’d been ‘gentle as an angel and hot as hell’. Gods, he never imagined the dobe was talking about  _Haruno_.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“So I’m calling dibs,” Naruto declared, his tanned face screwed up in determination. Glancing skyward, because it was so  _Naruto_  of the idiot to say something so childish with the seriousness of an adult, Sasuke chuckled softly.

“Have at it,” he said, amused at his best friend for thinking Sasuke might be interested in  _her_.

“Thanks, bro!”

A light buzzing in Sasuke’s pocket caught his attention. He pulled his phone out and checked the caller, and felt his stomach plummet to the ground. She never called at that time. He answered immediately.

“Mom?”

XoX

The beeping of the ECG echoed in Sasuke’s ears, the sound sharp and incessant. The room was bright and the air heavy and sterile, attacking his sensitive nose, cruelly burning his lungs whenever he tried to inhale deeply, in vain attempts to calm his racing heart. His eyes dropped to his hands, and he watched disconnected, as they twisted and clenched, his nails cutting into his skin and his knuckles white. He vaguely noted that his mouth was dry, and his neck ached from his hunched position on the hard chair beside the bed. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned to look at the woman lying in the bed beside him. Her eyes were closed, her hair pulled away from her pale face. His chest tightened at the sight of the oxygen tube in her throat, and the IV drips in her arms. He watched her chest rise and fall, and he latched onto those tiny movements.

“Mr. Uchi- Sasuke?!”

His tired eyes lifted to the door, to where she stood. Haruno.

“I didn’t think-” And he saw the realisation hit her. He watched as she put two and two together, her brows knitting closer as she reached her conclusion, eyes widening and mouth drawn into a frown. As quickly as she’d realised the truth, she composed her features.

“Mrs. Uchiha came in this morning for a routine check-up, am I correct?” she asked, inspecting the clipboard in her hands, and flipping through pages of medical history that Sasuke knew backwards. He simply nodded.

“She hadn’t complained of severe headaches or nausea?”

He shook his head. Of course she wouldn’t complain. Haruno set the clipboard aside and looked at him seriously.

“We found evidence that Mrs. Uchiha has experienced a number of seizures in the past month. As a result, she suffered a ‘tonic-clonic status epilepticus’, meaning a long, convulsive seizure. Thankfully, it happened in Dr. Tsunade’s rooms, and we were able to stabilise her quickly. However, the damage done may be severe. She’s been put under an MIC, and will be monitored for the rest of the week. I’m waiting for the results of her CT scan to come back, meanwhile she will be put into concomitant chemotherapy. This is a type of chemo that will accompany her regular medication while in ICU-”

“I know what it is,” Sasuke snapped, voice rough and low. She smiled sadly.

“I know, but I have to explain it to you, its hospital policy.”

“When can she come home?” he asked quietly.  Haruno frowned, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.

“Without her results, I can’t say for sure. While her seizure was quickly handled, we don’t know how severe or life-threatening the damage is. We’re expecting them in three to four days, depending on what the specialist finds. We’ll call you as soon as they arrive.”

He remained silent, watching his mom’s sleeping face.

“She’ll wake up soon, Sasuke. Tsunade is working really hard to make sure she goes home soon.”

And she left without another word, leaving Sasuke alone with the ECG’s beeping and his mother’s hollow breathing. 


	3. Chapter 3: Heaven Alone Only Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter was edited and beta'd by the amazing Sahar-Chan, without whom I would cease to exist, and all my writing would suck ass. Royally...

**Chapter 3**

**Which Way the Wind is Blowing**

  
He felt warm, it was a good kind of warm, and everything around him seemed to glow. There was a quiet voice somewhere ahead of him but he just couldn’t make out what it was saying. Glancing around, he noticed that although there was a soft glow about the room he was in, it was empty. In fact, he could hardly call it a room at all. There was nothing there; no chairs, no bed, no windows, no walls, no ceiling, no floor. Nothing. He was just floating; drifting along in a comfortable void, surrounded by everything and nothing all at once. The voice was getting louder, though. He focused on the muffled sound, trying hard to understand. He could almost make it out.

  
“…ke.”

  
Just a little further, he told himself, trying to haul his legs through the heavy emptiness.

  
“…suke.”

  
So close.

  
“Sasuke?”

  
Lifting his head, he squinted at the sudden intrusion of a bright light, raising a hand to shield his face.

  
“Mom?”

  
His vision cleared and slowly his mother’s smiling, albeit sallow, face came into view. Pushing up from his elbows, he gently grabbed hold of her hand, the tiniest bit of hope bubbling in his chest.

  
“Sorry, Sasuke, it’s me.”

  
Blinking, he opened his eyes and turned to the foot of the bed, where the voice was coming from, and glared blandly at the woman who stood there, clutching a clipboard to her chest. The tiny glimmer of hope evaporated from his chest and he looked back at his mom, his tired face expressionless.

  
“The vampires are here,” Dr. Haruno said, clearly trying to cheer him up with one of her famous jokes, but it was half-hearted this time. He just nodded absently, got to his feet and walked out, careful not to bump into any of the machines crowding his mom’s bed as he made way for the phlebotomists to work. Once outside the room, he slumped against the wall opposite the door, dark-circled eyes fixed on the white ceiling panels above. For how long, he wasn’t really sure. It was only when he heard a soft click and a gentle brush of fabric that he looked down, not surprised to see pink hair and oversized glasses.

  
“They’ll be just five minutes, and then Dr. Senju will be here,” she said, her usually high pitch quiet. He nodded again, not being able to say anything. He saw her lips purse and instantly regretted acknowledging her presence.

  
“Have you eaten yet?”

  
Had he? He couldn’t remember. He knew he’d had lunch with Naruto the day after his mom had been admitted, but after that? No…

  
“I didn’t think so,” she sighed, and he could hear the exasperation winning over the concern behind her interrogation. She huffed.

  
“You hungry?”

  
He shrugged disinterestedly, glancing at the door behind the tiny woman in front of him, shaking his head in response. He knew she’d rolled her eyes, and she took a step forward, toward him, and squinted up into his averted eyes.

  
“Well, I’m starving,” she said matter-of-factly, her head turning at the click-clack of heels echoing down the hallway. He turned as well, catching sight of the rather gifted Dr. Tsunade Senju. Her blonde hair was styled as it always was; in two ludicrous loose ponytails passed her shoulders that, in Sasuke’s unspoken opinion, looked very much like the assets she was so unabashedly proud of. She marched towards them and he felt himself shrink more and more in her presence, even though he towered over the older woman.

  
“How are we doing tonight?” She spoke directly to Haruno, dismissing Sasuke’s presence, for which he was actually grateful. He’d heard enough over the four days he’d spent in the hospital. He saw Haruno hand Dr. Tsunade the clipboard the pinkette had brought out with her and watched on as Tsunade flipped through the pages, skimming through the recent information. Nodding slightly, Tsunade tucked the clipboard beneath her arm and rounded on him.

  
“Sakura tells me you’re a first year med student?” Her tone implied that she was not, in fact, asking him for confirmation, but he nodded anyway.

  
“Then you understand what this says?”

  
Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to see the results and remarks on his mother’s health scrawled haphazardly across those pages, as though they were just that: data. He didn’t want to know why the nurses shared those pitying stares and hushed whispers whenever he walked past or they came in to record the machines’ data. He didn’t want to know that his mom might not be home soon…  
So he shook his head, because in all honesty, lying to the head of the hospital may very well be his final act on this earth.

  
“It says that we’ve been able to slow the growth of the tumour enough for the concomitant chemo to be a viable option at this point. Enough that she can leave ICU and be placed in High Care. She will still be under my care, obviously, but this is progress, and small as it is, I’ll take it. You should take it to, y’hear?”

  
Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Haruno.

  
“Sakura, you’re off the clock for an hour, take Tall, Dark, and Depressing here with you,” she ordered, thumbing at Sasuke over her shoulder. “I have a neurosurgeon with me today and it would be best if it were just us in there.”

  
“I was just saying how I needed a bite to eat,” Haruno said, grabbing hold of Sasuke’s wrist and dragging him along behind her with surprising strength. Sasuke didn’t even have the energy to pull out of her grip, and so he allowed himself to be towed through the silent hallways, past the quietly working night staff at the ward desks, past the now darkened rooms where patients slept and out into the main hallway leading to the elevators. He couldn’t speak, and felt he didn’t have to. His mind was still turning Tsunade’s words over, looking for the lie, trying to find the downside, anything to kill the surge of hope threatening to implode within his chest. He couldn’t let his expectations get the better of him, not while his mom was still in that damn room.

  
“Stop that.”

  
His eyes flicked downwards in surprise; he was standing in an elevator. He had half-forgotten she was still there, let alone the fact that they’d stopped walking.

  
“Stop what?” he croaked. She sighed.

  
“What you’re doing right now.”

  
He squinted at her, mildly annoyed at her cryptic answer. Yes, replying in the most obtuse way while he figuratively pulled his hair out was exactly the right thing to do. Way to go, Haruno.

  
“I can see it, you’re trying too hard. This is a good thing,” she said, gently nudging his elbow with a small fist. “She could be home soon.”

  
“I know that,” he grunted, shirking away from her touch. She didn’t get it, she was just the doctor’s assistant. It had happened before. Sasuke knew how easily patients could relapse.

  
“It’s okay to be happy, Sasuke. It’s okay to hope and it’s okay to hurt. It’s human nature,” she insisted. But it wasn’t okay. None of it was. Hope would just set him up for even more pain when his mom died. Sasuke wasn’t an idiot, he knew there was no cure, only ways to prolong the inevitable. So why-?

  
“Do you think she’ll be happy to see that horrific and scarring frown on your face when she finally wakes up?”

  
“Excuse me?” He could see that Haruno wasn’t exactly pleased by his behaviour, or lack thereof, but he didn’t give two shits.

  
“I’m being serious, Sasuke. Don’t you think she’ll be sad to see how depressed you are?”

  
“I don’t think it’s any of your damn business what-”

  
The rest of his venomous defence was halted by the sound of the doors opening on the third floor. He glanced at the unwelcome guest with disinterest and leaned his head against the cool glass of the mirror behind him. Until the newcomer spoke. ‘Squealed’ would be more accurate.

  
“Forehead! You’re off the clock?”

  
“Just for an hour, Tsunade has me babysitting.” Haruno sounded thoroughly scathing, but apparently that went over her friend’s head.

  
“She has Shika with her, she needed space. So, of course she kicked you and your giant forehead out!”

  
“Shut up, Pig, you’re just jealous that I’m getting an hour’s break and you just finished another back-to-back shift.”

  
“Perhaps,” the woman said pensively. “So whose baby are you sitting?”

  
Haruno laughed, and Sasuke had a feeling that this elevator ride was far too crowded.

  
“’Tall, Dark and Depressing here’, as Tsunade likes to call him.”

  
“No kidding. Say, kid, you got a name?” Sasuke levelled the blue-eyed blonde with a cold glare.

  
“You know who this is, Ino-Pig,” Haruno supplied wearily. Ah, so that was Ino, the one Haruno was constantly chattering about. Not that he cared, but putting a face to the name was satisfying enough.

  
“Really?” Ino quipped. “Tall, dark and gloomy… Wait, you’re the Prince of Doom and Gloom?!” Her outburst reverberated off of every solid object within the tiny enclosed space and, shit, it hurt.

  
“Ino,” Haruno warned.

  
“Sorry, Forehead, but you should be the one in trouble. You told me about your mentee and all, but you definitely forgot to mention he was such a cutie,” Ino accused. “Or, maybe you chose to leave that tiny detail out?”

  
Haruno snorted.

  
“Shut up, Pig. Can’t you see you’re scaring the poor kid?”

  
“He looks like he can take it,” the blonde purred, her thin eyebrows wiggling suggestively. Sasuke heard Haruno’s hand meet her forehead with a spectacular smack just as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor. He quickly pushed past Ino and Haruno and stalked towards the empty cafeteria, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Sasuke glanced out the window as he stalked ahead of them. He hadn’t even realised it was dark out.

  
Of course, he wouldn’t have noticed. His mom’s room had no windows, and he was never anywhere else during the day. In the silence of the deserted cafeteria, the previously ignored rumbling in his stomach became, well, less ignorable, but thankfully managed to drown out anything else of consequence. Except, it seemed, the somewhat grating voice of Haruno’s friend. He’d already made it to the vending machine when the blonde called from the elevator, and it was all Sasuke could do to keep from physically flinching.

  
“What are you doing, Princey?”

  
Taking a deep breath, Sasuke slowly turned on his heel, holding the bag of chips up in silence for her to see. The woman clicked her tongue and if it weren’t for the thoroughly smug grin on Haruno’s face, he could have shrugged it off. But the smirk stretching the pinkette’s face honestly kind of terrified him. It was unusual, and he would chalk it up to a horrific lack of sleep and a long continuance of anxiety, but in that moment, he was afraid of what she could do.

  
“We’re not eating shitty hospital food,” the blonde cut in, throwing her arms out beside her, gesturing to the empty canteen as if eating at the hospital was just unthinkable. And without another word, she practically danced through the automated doors and actually disappeared. Sasuke threw Haruno a bemused sidelong glance that quickly turned to one of contempt when she burst out laughing.  
“What?” he demanded, wincing internally at how rough his voice actually was. Haruno shook her head and smiled, tilting her head towards the doors before walking out.

  
Was… was she telling him to follow her? He wasn’t a dog, and certainly not hers. So why did he shrug and follow after her, hands once again deep in his pockets and shoulders hunched in perpetual indifference? He didn’t know. He would chalk that up to a horrific lack of sleep and a long continuance of anxiety as well.

  
And maybe, though he’d never admit it, just a tiny bit of curiosity.

  
~

  
“Sakura, darling, won’t you pass your dearest friend the soy sauce?”

  
“I think you’ve had too much ‘soy sauce’, if you know what I mean.”

  
“No, you’ve had too much ‘soy sauce’, Forehead!”

  
Sasuke watched on in silence. They’d been at Ichiraku’s for well over two hours, and the pair of bright-haired women at his table had managed to drink their way through three bottles of brandy. Three whole bottles of imported brandy. Though Haruno was faring better than Blondie, Sasuke saw how the red in her cheeks deepened with every bottom of a glass. And as entertaining as they were, he really didn’t want to play sober buddy.

  
“Aren’t you sup-posed to be back at the hoshpital?” Blondie slurred, pointing a finger at three different Haruno’s. She chuckled softly.

  
“Yeah, we need to get back. Shizune texted me a few minutes ago and told me she’d be taking over for me, but I need to get my stuff anyway. Can I call you a cab?”

  
Blondie nodded and seemed to immediately regret her decision as she clutched the sides of her head. Haruno smiled and did just that. They waited a few minutes for the Uber driver and Sasuke walked back to his car (that he still couldn’t believe they’d convinced him to take) and waited while Haruno saw Blondie off.

  
It was ten silent minutes later, along the empty highway that he broke the silence. For the first time in his entire life.

  
“Aren’t you feeling sick?” he asked, his voice barely audible over the radio. He didn’t know why he asked, but if she asked, at least he could say he’d been worried about his upholstery. She didn’t answer immediately, and he turned to see if she was still awake. Once they’d gotten into the car, she’d leaned her elbow on the door and rested her cheek in her palm. She hadn’t moved since then. Glancing at her, he realised that she was so small. Having only ever had his mom or Naruto sit in the front seat of his car, he realised just how tiny Haruno actually was in comparison. Her feet just brushed the carpet on the floor, and her head couldn’t quite reach the headrest.

  
“I’m fine,” she said finally, startling Sasuke into focusing on the road. She hummed happily before continuing.

  
“It takes a lot more than brandy to make me sick.” She fell silent after that and Sasuke was glad she didn’t ask why he wanted to know in the first place. He stared out at the road, paying the passing neon lights little attention. They’d be back at the hospital soon.

  
“Sorry,” she mumbled through a yawn, her hand muffling her voice and making it harder to hear. He kept quiet, figuring she’d explain herself anyway. And she did.  
“For dragging you along with us,” she sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose. “I know you’re worried about your mom, and we’re not the easiest pair to be around. And I know you’re not used to it, so I’m sorry for making you do it.”

  
Sasuke was stunned into silence. Partly because he’d never expect such a sincere apology for something so trivial, but mostly because he suddenly felt compelled to reassure her, to tell her he hadn’t found it that bad and it was okay. The fact was he had found it borderline unbearable and had never reassured someone before by lying to them, or at all, actually.

  
So, he shrugged.

  
And, she laughed.

  
She laughed at him a lot, and he wasn’t so sure he enjoyed being the source of someone’s ridicule.

  
“You’re impossible,” she accused, chuckling softly.

  
Maybe he was.

  
“And so stubborn.”

  
Perhaps.

  
“She’s going to wake up soon.”

  
He hoped so.


	4. And If We'll Ever Make It Home

He stared at the brand new, brightly coloured flower arrangement that sat at the foot of his mother’s bed in the large white room. Or rather, he stared right through it. In all honesty, it was a better sight than the endlessly blank grey walls he’d become accustomed to, but it still wasn’t enough to keep his anxious gaze off of his mother’s sleeping face for too long.

Tsunade had already come to check in that morning, beating Sasuke to the door like she usually did. She also remembered to tell him how ‘god-awful’ he looked and that he ought to go home and eat and get some sleep, like she usually did. But it was getting hard to do anything other than take her well-meant abuse, because it was getting harder to feel… well, anything.

The longer his mom’s eyes stayed shut, the more difficult it became to believe they’d ever open again. The longer they stayed shut, the more he yearned to have those same warm, coal black eyes peer up at him again, even if it was just to scold him. But they remained shut, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

“Sasuke?”

He didn’t even bother lifting his head. He knew she was standing there, in her too-big lab coat and oversized glasses, a clipboard pressed to her chest and the corners of her pink mouth turned down in concern. For him, he knew. He hated it. But not that much anymore. He supposed it was all part of familiarity now.

“Sasuke,” she tried again, and he ignored her. Again. She sighed, quietly.

“She’s going to wake up, Sasuke,” she said, confident and clear. It bugged him somewhat, that she could be so sure of herself, of his mother. He turned his head, lifting his heavy eyes to glare at her, but even he could tell it was less than half-hearted.

“How about this,” she continued, ignoring his pathetic attempts at warding her off. “When she wakes up, you have to do whatever I say for 24 hours.”

Sasuke would've rolled his eyes, but he didn't even blink. He just turned back to his mother.

“Deal, then. Now get out,” she ordered, prodding him gently in the back. “I’m running some final tests on how the treatment is going.”

He stood up, his legs numb and feet heavy, and shuffled out of the room, ignoring how very Tsunade-like Haruno truly was. Minus the unnecessarily rude comments about his 'duck-butt' hair. He made his way through the emptying hallways and into the waiting room downstairs. Both the day and night staff had gotten quite used to his constant presence, even though he’d only been there a few weeks.

“Asshole!”

Sasuke couldn’t help but look up, his sight almost completely obscured by a blur of bright yellow and orange.

“Naruto?”

“Yeah, man,” he said, throwing an arm across Sasuke’s unnaturally slumped shoulders.

“Why are you here?”

“Well, your phone has been off for over two weeks and you’re never down here when I come, so I spoke to Sakura and she helped me out,” Naruto explained, shooting Sasuke nervous sideways glances. Sasuke knew why; he still hadn’t shaken the idiot’s arm off. It must have unsettled him, but Sasuke didn’t care. They sat on the adjoining seats in the reception area, Naruto clearly struggling with this new and definitely not improved Sasuke.

“How’s… How’s your mom doing?”

“Still not awake,” Sasuke deadpanned, his voice flat and unfeeling. He couldn’t even force it to sound less cold.

“But Sakura said she’d-”

“So?”

“So she’ll be awake soon, and-”

“And what?”

Naruto stopped talking, staring at his best friend. He was pitying Sasuke, and Sasuke hated it. But he also couldn’t bring himself to give a damn about it.

“I’m going up to see her,” Naruto said, getting to his feet and walking toward the elevator, leaving Sasuke as alone as he felt. He clicked his tongue and stood up, deciding to take a walk outside until Haruno was done.

X

He’d been walking for a good two hours or so, his rumbling stomach barely crossing his mind as he watched the young children run through the park a few blocks away from the hospital around him. It was mildly disinteresting to him; these children were all smiling and screeching with joy, their laughter bouncing off countless imaginary walls. Maybe the walls were inside his head. He didn't care. His barely charged phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out lazily, wondering why he'd bothered charging it in the car at all. The screen flashed with an unknown number.

“What?” he answered. The person at the other end damn near screamed his ear off.

“Sasuke! Come back, it’s your mother! She’s-”

And the line went dead.

X

He made it back to the hospital in three and a half minutes on foot, his heart racing and mouth drier than it had ever been. He was supposed to have been there when she woke up. It had turned into a big 'if' but regardless. He didn’t even bother waiting for the elevator, and bolted up three flights of stairs, dodging bewildered nurses and physio patients as he went. He should have been there. It felt like ages before his mother’s private ward came into view, but he pushed his tired legs even faster, damn near taking the doors down as he threw them open.

He was supposed to be there.

“Hello, Sasuke.”

He never dreamed he’d get to hear that voice again, and even as croaky and rough as it sounded at that moment, it was enough to almost send him to his knees. But he remained rooted to the spot, chest heaving and heart pounding.

“I’ve missed you, son.”

She was awake. She was sitting propped carefully up on a few pillows, frail hands folded in her lap, her hair pulled back into a twisted knot behind her head, and _awake_. She smiled weakly and tried raised a thin arm out towards him, beckoning him closer.

“Mom…”

His whisper sounded like a crash of thunder in the crushing silence, and he slowly forced one foot in front of the other, until his mother’s hand curled weakly around his own.

“Mom,” he whispered again, vaguely aware of Haruno shooing Naruto and another nurse out behind him.

“I’m sorry I was asleep for so long, sweetheart,” she murmured, giving his hand a tiny squeeze. The small movement brought tears to his eyes, spilling over and falling over his cheeks, and they didn’t stop.

“You’re awake,” he said dumbly. She laughed in her smooth, tinkling laugh that he’d longed to hear for what felt like years.

“I hadn’t noticed,” she teased, patting a spot for him to sit on her bed beside her. He did, and leaned forward, laying his head on her shoulder as gently as he could. He felt her free hand in his hair, smoothing out the many neglected knots and tangles.

“So,” she whispered. “What have I missed?”

X

It was another week before his mother was allowed home, and another week after that that Sasuke finally went back to class. Tsunade had said his mother’s recovery was progressing well and she’d only have to go back to the hospital for a few tests. Sasuke adamantly refused to allow his mother to do anything, to the extent in which he narrowly dodged an alarm clock thrown quite hard thanks to his mother’s quickly returning strength.

Eventually, he conceded, agreeing to attend lectures if his mother promised that cooking was the only thing she did while he was out. Sparingly. And by sparingly, he meant that she could cook one meal a day, and that was it. Maybe just once a week.

Naruto hardly ever left their house now, trailing Mikoto with as much determination he could muster. Which, in Sasuke’s experience, was more than enough.

Haruno had become unbearable, even with somehow avoiding an outright ‘I told you so’, or mentioning the deal she’d agreed to herself. She’d beam at him constantly, whether they were in class or on patrol at 2am in the children’s ward. It was unnerving.

“What?” he’d demanded once, almost flinching beneath her wide, all-knowing grin.

“Just happy,” she’d said nonchalantly, shrugging as she turned back to the textbook in front of them, appearing to concentrate on what Kakashi was droning on about.

Unnerving. And irksome.

Presently, he was following her through the 3rd floor Psych wards, keeping his eyes open for that abominable best friend of Haruno’s. He knew she’d be close, considering it was her ward they were in, and he’d be damned if he was caught off guard.

“Little bird, are you listening?”

His head snapped back to the woman walking ahead of him with a surprising lack of annoyance.

“What.”

He’d taken to phrasing the word as a statement instead of a question, something he knew she didn’t appreciate.

She huffed and he smirked. Inwardly.

“I said, keep an eye out for Ino.”

“Already am.”

She turned her head, her face twisted warily. Clearly she hadn’t expected an answer. To be fair, neither had he, so he was just as shocked as she was. But she didn’t need to know that.

She was quiet for just a moment longer (a world record for her), before humming.

"How's your mom adjusting to being back at home?"

"Fine," he muttered. She nodded and he continued without her asking. "She won't stop. She's always cleaning or cooking or talking about joining the dojo again."

Haruno giggled.

"That's normal, Sasuke. She's feeling the effects of being still for so long, and I imagine she'd run a marathon if she could. Or if you'd allow her to," she added, falling back to bump her small shoulder into his. Or his upper arm, she couldn't really reach his shoulder. He hated how easily she touched people.

"Hey, did I hit your mute button? That's, like, the most you've ever said in one go. At least when I'm around."

His eyes slid to the smirk on her face and back to the hallway ahead.

"Hn."

"What does that mean, oh eloquent one?"

He could have ignored her. He probably would have. But...

"You're annoying."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should not have taken so long to post, and to be honest, its not that long and I wrote it in such a short time once I kicked my own ass back to my keyboard (and closed my YT and Tumblr tabs) that I'm feeling mildly stupid (a lot stupid) for letting this go for so long... I need someone to haul me over the coals when I get complacent and lazy.


End file.
